Basic Filipino Marinade (Germ's Style)

The finished product how we normally have it -- grilled, on a bed of lettuce & a warm pita.

After I was married and was seriously cooking for a household, I tried to replicate the marinade for the BBQ kebobs I loved so much from family picnics, but was never successful.  One time at a gathering at his family's house, my beloved late uncle, Papa Jess, told me the secret to the Filipino marinade: 7-Up.  I nearly fell over, I was so shocked.  I think I actually said to him, "Get OUTTA here!"  Sure enough, the next time I made the marinade, it was perfect. It was like the puzzle was finally complete.  So here is my version of the marinade, tweaked over the years til I got it how I liked it.  I hope you enjoy it, too.  :)

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Ingredients:
1 C Soy Sauce (full sodium works best because it will get diluted with the other liquids that are added)
3-4 Cloves minced garlic OR 2 Tbsp Garlic powder
½ C Brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp Ground ginger
½ C Rice vinegar
1 can 7-Up

Blend well before adding it to meats.  For best results, pour over the meat and refrigerate in an air-tight container for at least a day or more before grilling.  (I like to go 3-4 days to ensure the meat REALLY gets infused with the flavor.)

Can be used on pork, chicken or beef.  I prefer marinating srips of pork with some slight marbling within; if you choose meats that are extremely lean, they will come out tough and chewy.  I recently experimented with strips of chuck steak and they were INCREDIBLE.

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Strips of beef in the marinade, Day One:

This is what the same meat looks like right out of the fridge, 4 days later:

Grilling on a screen designed for small meats & veggies.  Keeps 'em from falling through the grates.  :)

...and some grilled onions:

Normally I put the meat & veggies on a pita bread, but saw the flatbread package in the store and decided to try that.  MUCH better - it's thinner than a pita, so it doesn't fill you up as easily.

The finished product.  (Meat can also be skewered onto wooden sticks for kebabs/yakitori-type grilling.  That's how they're usually presented, FIlipino-style.)  Yum!  :)

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GBAdams
09/14/11

Nomalicious BBQ Ribs

There are many ways to approach making ribs.  I've seen them done many ways...one of my favorites is char siu, or Chinese-style.  Another is a traditional sweet-style (Memphis?) baby back type of rib.  So when I set out to make ribs for the first time, I thought I'd combine my favorites.  This is the result -- best of both worlds.  You can use this rub in conjunction with my BBQ Sauce recipe, or you can use it with any store-bought sauce you prefer.  It works well equally with both, I've found.  :)

The key for these ribs is low & slow.  They can then be finished on the grill, or set under an oven broiler.  Hope you enjoy.  ;)

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Ingredients:
Half to whole slab of pork ribs (baby back, St. Louis-style, etc.), "silver" removed
1 C   Brown sugar

1Tbsp Garlic powder

1Tbsp Onion powder

2Tbsp Paprika

1Tbsp Kosher salt

1tsp    White pepper

1tsp    Chili pepper

Prep:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients until well-blended. Rub generous amounts of mix into both sides of ribs – underneath and on top. Be sure to cover the entire slab.  Place in wide, shallow pan.  (Do not use a flat cookie sheet!)  

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven.  Do not check on ribs during the baking time – keep foil tightly sealed.  Let ribs roast in the oven for a minimum of 2 hours.  (2-2½ hours for 1 slab, 2½-3 hours for 2 slabs.)  Remove from oven. 

Place ribs on a heated grill, using indirect heat, for 10 minutes.  Apply BBQ sauce to the ribs, first on the underside, grill for 5-7 minutes, then flip and apply BBQ sauce to the top. 

Remove after 5-7 minutes and serve.

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GBAdams
05/30/2009

BBQ Sauce by Germ

For use on ribs, chicken, or whatever you can think of! ;)

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Ingredients:

2 ½ C Heinz ketchup

1 C teriyaki sauce (not thickened or reduced)

¼ C molasses

½ C brown sugar

¼ C honey

2 tsp mustard powder

2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

3Tbsp lemon juice

¼ C Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Whisk together all ingredients until well-blended. Honey can warmed up prior to adding to the mixture to aid with incorporation.  Apply BBQ sauce to whatever you wish.  :)

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GBAdams
02/09/2003